Will 2019 Be the Summer of Marijuana in Massachusetts?

As summer temperatures soar into the 90s, residents and tourists are heading outside, packing public parks, pools, beaches and other outdoor recreational areas across the state. But there’s also something new in the air this season -- marijuana.

This is the first summer since dispensaries started legally selling recreational marijuana in the state. And although public consumption of marijuana remains illegal in Massachusetts, it hasn’t stopped people from consuming it outside.

Mary Randle, a Hudson mother and registered nurse, said she was in a park with her daughter one day in late June when she noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from a group of people sitting behind her. While she said none were consuming in public, she said the smell was “overwhelming.”